Vessels collide in Welland Canal at well-known passing location

The incident between 12,700-dwt heavy lift vessel Alanis and 14,000-dwt bulker Florence Spirit took place in front of bystanders at 4.00 pm on Saturday 11 July 2020 in the Welland Canal in Canada, and is now circulating on social media.

The Welland Canal connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and is controlled by the St Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. A spokesperson from the Canal operators said the incident took place at near Port Robinson at a well-known vessel passing spot. Incidents in the canal are said to be rare.

The video shows there was a considerable impact between the two vessels. The authorities report this did not result in any pollution being released.

The video, apparently taken by Jeremy Barton, has been circulated on LinkedIn and has attracted a lot of professional speculation as to the cause of the incident.

Neither of the companies involved in the operation of the vessels has issued a comment.